So! If you have forced any early rhubarb great, as the final colour of the gin is a lighter more delicate shade of pink, but if not, carry on with the usual rhubarb and the colour will be darker but just as tasty! Lovely on its own and just as scrummy with tonic and a sliced bit of fresh rhubarb. 

(This is how I do it………..and of course the recipe can be halved………or doubled)!!

Need:

• Large sweety type of jar or large kilner jar with tight fitting lid

Ingredients:

• About 1kg (2 lb)of rhubarb…….but ok not to be precise!
• 1 x bag of granulated sugar……..cheap not expensive
• 2 x 70cl bottles of cheapest gin 

What to Do:

1. Pull your rhubarb stalks and remove leaves and root ends. Rinse stalks but don’t dry it – just shake off excess water. Chop stalks into 3 inch pieces (roughly)
2. Put into the sweety jar
3. Whilst the rhubarb is still wet, pour on the sugar and shake the rhubarb so that the sugar covers and sticks to all the bits
4. Leave in the jar for 24 hours, shaking intermittently and the juice will run from the rhubarb and ‘melt’ into the sugar
5. Add the gin to the rhubarb and shake together intermittently over a couple of days until the sugar has completely dissolved
6. Pop the jar into the dark shed (or secret place) for a couple of weeks – and then taste! If it is too bitter - add more sugar and keep tasting…….too sweet, add more gin…..keep tasting…..and over all, keep tasting and 
7. If there fizz any left after a touple of seeks, drain the rhubits off and bottle hit!

Elaine (35)

Ingredients

600grams courgette
230grams cane sugar
220grams granulated sugar
20g fresh ginger
½ fresh chilli
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt (can add less)
6 sprigs fresh mint
2-3 sprigs of rosemary according to taste
500mls Prosecco

Put the sugar, chopped courgette, chopped red pepper, grated ginger & sparkling prosecco in a large saucepan and bring to the boil.

Boil for 5 minutes and add the bay leaves and sea salt.

Continue to boil over a low heat for 15-20 minutes until the jam begins to have a glossy texture and thickened (use the saucer test).

Add the chopped mint and remove from the heat, transfer to sterilised jars. It should keep for about 3 months.

Tip:- you can chop the courgette up in to larger chunks so you get a jam with pieces in or chop the courgette in to very small pieces for a more smooth jam

A perfect recipe to sue up the glut of cucumbers!

What you need:

6 small cucumbers
1 x 1litre bottle of cheap gin
Large sweet or kilner jar

What to do: 

1.    Peel the small cucumbers until they are clean of the green skin
2.    Slice them all lengthways and remove all pips
3.    Chop them into small pieces (about 1 inch)
4.    Pile them into a large kilner or sweet jar
5.    Pour over 1 litre of gin which should cover the cucumber pieces
6.    Keep in dark cupboard for about 2 weeks
7.    Strain through muslin into sterilised bottles
8.    Serve cold with slice of lime and slice of cucumber and top up with tonic water

Pick heads of flowers when the heads are completely out in full flower and are at their most pungent – usually on a hot sunny day!

Ingredients

2lbs sugar
2 lemons
8 large heads of elderflowers
1 ½ gallons of cold water

To do:

Put all in a very big bucket and stir until the sugar has dissolved
Leave in bucket for 36 hours
Strain and bottle in pressure topped bottles
Leave in a cool place for a few weeks and see what happens!! 

Be prepared to be amazed …..or injured…..!

Although you start with a lot of onions they melt down and this recipe makes about 2 jars! So you may want to double the recipe ……..

You will need:

About 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 kg of onions peeled and thinly sliced
pinch of salt and pepper
150ml or 5fl oz red wine (optional)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
6 table spoons light brown soft sugar
Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

What to do:

1.    Heat the oil in a very large pan.  Add the onions, (chilli flakes if using them) salt and pepper and cook over a medium heat until the onions soften, stirring occasionally so that they don’t ‘catch’ on the bottom of the pan. Cook slower than faster so that they gradually caramelise.
2.    When they are cooked through and sticky raise the heat a bit and add the wine and vinegars and stir to mix. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat. Stir in the sugar until dissolved and continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally to make sure they don’t stick to the pan!
3.    Remove the pan from the heat and spoon onions into warm sterilised jars.
4.    Store and allow to mature for a month before earing – if you can!

What you need:

3lb (1.5kg) plums  stoned and halved
1lb (500gms) cooking apples peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 ½ lbs (750gms) onions (any type) chopped into small pieces
1 pint (500 mls) malt vinegar
1lb (500 gms) dark brown sugar
1 table spoon salt 

Make a spice bag with a simple small square of muslin tied tightly at the top but big enough to hold:

1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon cloves
Pieced of chopped fresh ginger 
2 teaspoons of black mustard seeds   

What to do:

1.    Place all ingredients into a large preserving pan and stir thoroughly
2.    Place over low heat until all combined and sugar has dissolved 
3.    Increase the heat until all contents have softened
4.    Bring to the boil and add the bag of spices to the pan, immersing it totally
5.    Turn heat down on the pan and leave to cook down, stirring occasionally (about 1 ½ to 2 hours)
6.    When you can ‘draw’ a clean line along the bottom of the pan, the chutney is ready
7.    Pour the contents into warm sterilised jars and seal immediately
8.    Store for a month before tasting

Once tasted – never forgot! It can be sipped neat or pop a little in the bottom of a tall glass and add champagne or prosecco.

I double quantities to make plenty for Christmas

What you need:

250gms (9 oz) raspberries
100gms (4 oz) granulated sugar
500ml (1 pint) gin (cheapest)

What you do:

1.    Put raspberries into large jar
2.    Pour sugar on the top and then the gin on the top of that
3.    Shake intermittently but carefully over a couple of days until the sugar has dissolved
4.    Place in dark room or cupboard for about 3 months then taste
5.    If you are happy with the flavour, strain the mixture through a muslin bag and leave to drip over night or for about 6 hours
6.    Pour liquid into sterilised bottles and you have a perfect gift – if you can bare to give it away!

Note:

If you squeeze the fruit through the muslin, the liquid will be thicker and cloudy instead of a beautiful pink clear drink!  

Tastes better after a day, becomes more moist and fudgey

Ingredients

• 300g well-drained, cooked beetroots, pureed
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 300g caster sugar
• 200ml vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 225g plain flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• Preparation

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas 4. Grease and flour one 20x30cm (9x13 in) or similar sized baking tin.
2. In a large bowl, combine pureed beetroots, eggs, vanilla, oil and sugar. Mix with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cocoa. Add to the creamed mixture, beating together well. Pour batter into prepared tin.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until done. Cool and frost with your favourite icing. Use Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Icing for extra yumminess!

Ingredients:

1. 3 kilos of tomatoes
2. 1.5 kilos of sweet red peppers
3. 250-500 grams of hot fresh red peppers - dry will take longer to bring out the hot flavour and hard to judge how much you need
4. 200 grams of garlic
5. 2 heaped tbs of dried coriander
6. salt - amount dependent upon personal preference, just remember you need more salt to keep it longer

Instructions:

1. Remove all of the seeds from the sweet and hot red peppers
2. Remove the skins from the garlic
3. Remove the skins from the tomatoes
4. Crush the hot and sweet peppers and the tomatoes and garlics - mincer is the best thing for it!
5. Add the dried coriander and salt (amount dependent upon personal preference)

CAUTION: Wear gloves to do this or your fingers and hands will burn from the capsaicin (heat producing chemical) contained in the peppers.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 kg Cabbage
• 2 Carrots
• 1 Onion
• 1 Garlic
• 1l Water
• 150ml Oil
• 100ml Cider Vinegar
• 2 table spoons Salt
• 150g Sugar

Instructions:

1. Chop veg and mix them up gently - try not to squeeze juice out of them
2. Make marinade hot, pour over veg in a jar, leave under heavy press to soak for 24 hours

Delicious salad is ready to serve. You can pasteurize it for 15 mins and close in sterile (baked in oven or steamed) jar with sterile lid for longer keeps.